After much fanfair by Blair, it appears the Sir Nicholas Stern has left the inner circle of advisers to Gordon Brown and the British Government and is returning to academe. It would seem Brown is of the view that minimising damage to Britain’s economy has precedence over future disaster, back to the ‘we can have our cake and eat it’ line and championing international dialogue? More things change the more they remain the same. I expect much the same here in Magic Pudding land.

One thing Julia Gillard probably doesn’t want to talk about is this court case:http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20415066-2702,00.html
Basically it details allegations by a disgruntled partner that the partners of Slater and Gordon, a labor law firm where she was a partner, kept money from a widow and took a secret costs payments in breast implant litigation.
It has created growing controversy in Victoria, as pressure grows for the Labor government to investigate its ‘mates’ (Slater and Gordon is a big donor to the Labor Party).
The question is, will the Labor government launch a full inquiry into Slater and Gordon. Many are saying that their license should be suspended, and orders for compensation made in the interim.

Paul Barry, who unfortunately sounds a lot like those received-pronounciation types from ’60s newsreels, is doing Fran Kelly’s usual spot on RN Breakfast. He’s introduced an interesting new segment called Breakkie Blogspot, with Antony Loewenstein first cab off the rank.

There’ll be a different blogger each week. It seems you have to read your post, so count me out, but if you’re intrigued maybe you should send him an email.

Now listen here. I live about 30 minutes drives from Beenleigh which, no disrespect to the local residents intended, is about as “happening” a place as Sydney’s Mount Druitt used to be back in the 1970s. I mean, Jesus, just take a look! Prof Q. lives just the other side of the hole, I believe, so he can back me up. As far as Al Quaeda targets go, this is just ridiculous.

So this is what we have to fear? For this we expend billions of dollars, crap upon international law and trash our once-proud reputation around the globe?

Following the terror alert above, this week we also had mysterious powder scares at John Howard’s Sydney office and Alexander Downer’s office in Canberra.

Then there was a mysterious smell on the Sydney trains which forced a shutdown at Bondi Junction.

The media have hardly touched any of these stories. Wierd, isn’t it?

And that’s following the revelations that someone somewhere in Australia has a bunch of ex-military rocket launchers… So are we serious about this “terrrrst” threat, or only as applied in other countries and/or in purely speculative situations?